Sport Supports - emergency sport actions for youth

PPPA-SPORT is a Pilot Projects and Preparatory Actions call managed by EACEA to fund local grassroots sport activities supporting children and young people affected by humanitarian crises and mass migration in the context of war. The total indicative budget is €1.92 million with up to 8 grants, a maximum grant per project of €400,000 and an EU funding rate up to 80% of eligible costs; the coordinator must be an organisation active in the field of sport. The call opens 10 November 2026 and the submission deadline is 7 January 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time, with projects normally running 12–18 months. Applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the specified templates and comply with eligibility, financial capacity and safeguarding requirements in the call documentation.

What it funds

Scope and objectives

Grants to support local, grassroots sport activities for children and young people affected by humanitarian crises and mass migration in the context of war. Aims include community integration, mental and physical well-being, trauma recovery, creating bonds with host communities and collecting good practices for wider replication. Activities should be age and culturally appropriate and typically implemented by grassroots sport clubs in cooperation with social, psychological or pedagogical support centres and sport federations.

Footnotes

1. 1Call document and details available on the Funding & Tenders Portal and in the call fiche: Call fiche PPPA-SPORT-2026-EMERGENCY-YOUTH.

Call overview and purpose

This is a single-stage Call for Proposals under the Pilot Projects & Preparatory Actions (PPPA) programme managed by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). The topic identifier is PPPA-SPORT and the call title is Sport Supports - emergency sport actions for youth. The call aims to fund local, grassroots sport actions to support community integration, mental and physical well-being, trauma recovery, social bonds and inclusion of children and young people affected by humanitarian crises and mass migration processes in the context of war. Activities should be organised mainly at local level via grassroots sports clubs with cooperation from social, psychological or pedagogical support centres and sports federations. Projects should normally last 12-18 months and typically be implemented within a single country.

Key financial information

Eligible applicants and participant roles

Eligibility rules follow the call document and the general EU Grants rules for PPPA actions. Participants must be legal entities (public or private bodies) established in eligible countries (see full list in the call document). Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed sole traders where the company has no separate legal personality. International organisations are eligible. Entities without legal personality may exceptionally participate if their representatives can undertake legal obligations. EU bodies (except the Commission Joint Research Centre) may NOT be part of the consortium.

Geographic eligibility and target beneficiaries

Applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries as defined in section 6 of the call document (EU Member States including overseas countries and territories are explicitly eligible). Projects must take place in eligible countries. The primary target group for actions are children and young people affected by humanitarian crises and mass migration processes in the context of war, including refugees and displaced persons (notably but not exclusively those fleeing the war of aggression against Ukraine).

Scope, objectives and eligible activities

The call emphasizes single-country/local implementation (easier to respond to integration needs locally). Financial support to third parties is expressly not allowed.

Project maturity and expected impact

Grant features, budget rules and eligible cost categories

Application, admissibility and submission

Consortium and consortium requirements

Evaluation, award criteria and thresholds

Financial and operational capacity, exclusions and due diligence

Applicants must demonstrate stable and sufficient financial resources to implement the project. Financial capacity checks are performed based on documentation in the Participant Register (balance sheet, profit & loss, auditor reports, business plan, etc.). Public bodies and international organisations are generally exempt from financial capacity checks and CFS thresholds may apply. Operational capacity (know-how, qualifications and suitable team) is assessed under the Quality award criterion using CVs, profiles and list of relevant projects in last 4 years. Exclusion grounds include bankruptcy, grave professional misconduct, fraud, links to criminal organisations, non-compliance with tax/social security obligations, EU restrictive measures and EU conditionality measures (entities subject to sanctions or conditionality measures are ineligible).

Reporting, payments, guarantees and controls

Application stages, success rates and co-funding

Templates and application structure

Applicants must use the templates provided in the Submission System. The application comprises: Part A (administrative data and summarised budget) completed online; Part B (technical description of the action) completed using the mandatory Word template downloaded from the Submission System and uploaded as a PDF; mandatory annexes including detailed budget table/calculator (Excel template available), list of previous key projects for the last 4 years, and other supporting documents as required in the Submission System. Part B must respect the 70-page limit. The detailed budget table must reconcile with the online summarised budget (online amounts prevail).

Important operational notes and compliance

Proposals must be readable, accessible and printable. Applicants must confirm at submission they have the mandate to act for all applicants and that information provided is correct; beneficiaries and affiliated entities must sign a declaration of honour before grant signature. Projects already completed will be rejected; ongoing projects that started before submission are evaluated case-by-case but costs incurred before the project start date cannot be reimbursed. Proposals must comply with EU values and policies, ethics, data protection rules and must disclose use of generative AI tools during proposal preparation. Multiple proposals per applicant for different projects are allowed, but near-duplicate proposals may result in requests to withdraw duplicates or rejection.

Contact, help and portal resources

For IT submission issues contact the IT Helpdesk. For non-IT questions contact the EACEA sport mailbox at eacea-sport@ec.europa.eu (specify call and topic reference). Applicants should consult the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, the call document, Model Grant Agreement (PPPA-AG) and Portal topic page for updates, topic Q&As and templates.

Explicit lists, tags and keywords extracted from the call

Summary: What this opportunity is about and how to approach it

This PPPA call aims to fund local, practice-oriented sport projects that provide emergency support to children and young people affected by humanitarian crises and mass displacement due to war. The emphasis is on grassroots sport activities that deliver psychosocial benefits, facilitate integration into host communities, improve physical and mental well-being and generate replicable good practices for dissemination across Europe. Applicants should be legal entities established in eligible countries (EU Member States and others listed in the call), with the coordinator being active in sport. Projects are typically single-country, 12–18 months in duration, and may request a grant up to €400,000 with the EU covering up to 80% of eligible costs. Applications must be submitted online using the exact templates from the Portal Submission System, respect the 70-page limit for Part B, and include the detailed budget templates and required annexes. Proposals will be assessed on Relevance (40%), Quality (40%) and Impact (20%) against specified thresholds. Successful applicants will undergo grant preparation which includes validation, checks and finalisation of the PPPA Model Grant Agreement. Applicants must carefully follow the call document, use the Submission System templates, and ensure full compliance with eligibility, financial and operational capacity and ethical and data-protection obligations to maximise chances of selection.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call documentation including the detailed call fiche, eligibility rules, budget overview and Model Grant Agreement is available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page: ec.europa.eu and in the Call Document and annexes published on the Portal.

Funding opportunity overview

Sport Supports is a forthcoming Pilot Projects and Preparatory Actions grant opportunity focused on using grassroots sport to support children and young people affected by humanitarian crises and mass migration in the context of war. The action is intended to promote community integration, improve mental and physical well-being, help participants overcome trauma, support adaptation to host communities, and facilitate integration into education and the labour market. The official opportunity information and call documentation should be treated as controlling sources 1.

The call is particularly relevant to grassroots sports clubs, sport organisations, municipalities, youth organisations, humanitarian and refugee support bodies, and organisations providing psychological, social or pedagogical support. The coordinator must be active in the field of sport.

Key facts

Policy rationale and target groups

The call responds to the effects of humanitarian crises, including displacement associated with war and the arrival of refugees in the European Union. It recognises that sport can create structured social contact, strengthen links between displaced young people and host communities, support mental and physical well-being, and provide a practical environment for inclusion and recovery.

The principal beneficiaries of funded activities should be children and young people affected by humanitarian crises and mass migration processes in the context of war. Proposals should identify the relevant target group precisely, including age range, migration or displacement circumstances, location, estimated numbers, vulnerabilities and barriers to participation.

Funded activities and scope

Eligible projects should mainly operate at local and grassroots level, normally in one eligible country. The action should use sport, games and related activities as instruments for defined social and psychosocial objectives rather than as sporting activity alone.

Activities may include regular sport sessions, inclusive games, community sport events, adapted coaching, peer activities, intercultural activities connected to sport, and structured referral or support arrangements with social, psychological or pedagogical services.

Activities should be age appropriate, culturally appropriate and sensitive to gender roles and the circumstances of the participating communities. Experienced coaches should build on participants existing physical abilities and help create a safe and supportive environment.

Cooperation between grassroots sports clubs and organisations providing social, psychological or pedagogical support is required or strongly expected by the call design. Sport federations may participate mainly as facilitators, multipliers or dissemination partners.

Expected outcomes include direct engagement of young people affected by war in meaningful local activities, improved physical and mental well-being, greater ability to adapt to new environments, stronger relationships with host communities, and the collection and dissemination of transferable good practices.

Applicant eligibility

Eligible applicants and affiliated entities must generally be legal entities, whether public or private, established in an EU Member State, including overseas countries and territories associated with the Member States.

Applications may be submitted by a single applicant or by a consortium. A consortium is not mandatory, but the subject matter makes partnerships between sports organisations and social, psychological, pedagogical, humanitarian or youth support bodies particularly appropriate.

The coordinator must be an organisation active in the field of sport. A sports club, sports federation, municipal sports body or comparable sport organisation may therefore be suitable as coordinator if it can demonstrate the necessary legal, financial and operational capacity.

International organisations are eligible and are not subject to the ordinary eligible country restriction. Natural persons are not eligible, except self-employed persons or sole traders where the business has no separate legal personality. EU bodies cannot participate, except that the European Commission Joint Research Centre is treated under the specific rules stated in the call documentation.

Entities without legal personality may participate exceptionally if their representatives can undertake legal obligations on their behalf and provide equivalent protection for the EU financial interests.

All beneficiaries and affiliated entities must register in the Participant Register before submission and obtain validation through the Central Validation Service. A participant identification code is required for the application.

Entities subject to applicable EU restrictive measures or relevant EU conditionality measures cannot participate in a funded role. Applicants must also pass exclusion checks and provide declarations of honour during grant preparation.

Consortium and participation structure

The following participation models are available:

Associated partners must bear their own costs. Subcontracting should normally remain limited, and subcontracting exceeding 30% of total eligible costs must be justified in the application. Financial support to third parties is not allowed, so the grant cannot be designed as a mechanism for redistributing funding to other clubs, individuals or organisations through subgrants.

Although a consortium agreement is not mandatory under the grant agreement for this call, it is commercially and operationally advisable for multi-beneficiary projects. It should address work allocation, intellectual property, financial transfers, decision making, safeguarding, data protection, liability, withdrawal and dispute management.

Geographic conditions

Activities must take place in eligible countries, meaning EU Member States including their overseas countries and territories. The call encourages local implementation and mainly expects projects to focus on one country rather than operating as broad multi-country networks.

Funding structure and applicant contribution

The grant is budget based and reimburses eligible costs at an 80% funding rate. A project requesting the maximum grant of €400,000 would normally need at least €500,000 in total eligible project costs, leaving at least €100,000 to be covered by the applicant or other permitted resources.

The maximum grant is a ceiling, not an entitlement. The final grant may be lower than the requested amount following evaluation, grant preparation, budget corrections, application of the funding rate, financial checks, or later reductions for non-compliance.

The grant may not generate a profit. For-profit organisations must declare relevant revenues, and any surplus of revenues plus EU grant over eligible costs may result in a reduction of the final grant.

The same costs may not be declared under more than one EU grant. Applicants combining this project with operating grants or other funding must maintain clear accounting separation and avoid double funding.

Eligible budget categories

The call uses a mixed actual cost model with actual costs, unit costs and flat-rate elements. Costs must be necessary for the action, incurred during the eligible period, identifiable and verifiable, recorded in the accounts, reasonable, and compliant with applicable tax, labour, social security and procurement rules.

Budget category

Main eligibility considerations

Personnel costs

Eligible personnel categories include employees, persons working under direct contracts, seconded persons, eligible SME owners or natural person beneficiaries, and volunteers where the relevant unit cost rules apply.

Subcontracting costs

Eligible where the subcontract is necessary, identified or appropriately approved, awarded using usual purchasing practices, provides best value for money or the lowest price where appropriate, and does not create a conflict of interest.

Travel and subsistence

Travel, accommodation and subsistence may use applicable EU unit costs. Where a specific expense is not covered by the applicable unit cost rules, actual costs may be used under the grant agreement conditions.

Equipment

Equipment is generally eligible through depreciation for the portion used during the action. Renting or leasing may be eligible if it does not exceed the depreciation cost of comparable equipment and does not include financing fees.

Other goods, works and services

This may include consumables, supplies, promotion, dissemination, translations, publications, protection of results, certificates and financial guarantees where required.

Indirect costs

Indirect costs are calculated as a flat rate of 7% of eligible direct costs in categories A to D, excluding volunteer costs and any specifically exempted categories.

Value added tax

Non-deductible and non-refundable VAT is eligible, subject to the specific exclusion for VAT paid by public bodies acting as public authorities.

Financial support to third parties

Not eligible under this call.

Volunteers

Volunteer work may be included using the authorised unit cost approach. Volunteer costs are not conventional cash expenditure, must comply with the applicable limits, and cannot be used to increase the EU contribution beyond the eligible cost structure permitted by the grant agreement.

Financial and operational capacity

Applicants must have stable and sufficient financial resources to implement the project and provide their share of the costs. Organisations involved in several projects must show that they have sufficient capacity to implement all commitments simultaneously.

The financial capacity check may examine accounts for the last closed financial year, profit and loss accounts, balance sheets, business plans, audit reports and other evidence requested through the Participant Register. Public bodies and international organisations are normally exempt from the financial capacity check, as are applicants where the individual requested grant amount does not exceed €60,000.

The granting authority may require additional information, enhanced financial responsibility, instalment based prefinancing, a prefinancing guarantee, reduced or no prefinancing, replacement of an applicant, or rejection where financial capacity is inadequate.

Operational capacity is assessed through the quality evaluation and requires appropriate knowledge, qualifications, experience and resources. Applicants should demonstrate experience with projects of comparable size and nature, competent delivery staff, safeguarding and support arrangements, management systems, facilities, coaches, referral partners and monitoring capacity.

Public bodies, Member State organisations and international organisations are exempt from the operational capacity check, although they remain responsible for demonstrating that the proposed action can be delivered effectively.

Evaluation and award criteria

Eligible proposals are assessed in a one stage process and ranked according to their scores. Independent experts may assist the evaluation committee. Passing the thresholds does not guarantee funding because awards are made within the available budget.

Criterion

Maximum score

Minimum threshold

Relevance

40 points

21 points

Quality

40 points

21 points

Impact

20 points

11 points

Overall

100 points

60 points

Relevance assesses clarity and consistency, alignment with the call objectives and priorities, contribution to the EU policy context, and respect for shared EU values including human dignity, democracy, equality, the rule of law, human rights and non-discrimination.

Quality assesses the link between needs and solutions, the quality of the consortium and team, cooperation procedures, implementation methodology, work organisation, management, subcontracting, timetable, risk management, monitoring, evaluation and cost effectiveness.

Impact assesses ambition and expected long term effects, benefits for target groups and the wider public, dissemination, sustainability of results, and the potential to inspire other sport clubs to establish similar support programmes.

For proposals with equal scores, priority is given first to the higher relevance score, then to impact, and finally to quality.

Application requirements

Applications must be submitted electronically through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Paper applications are not accepted. The application consists of Part A completed online, Part B uploaded using the mandatory template, and required annexes and supporting documents.

CVs of the core project team and activity reports from the previous year are stated as not applicable for this call, but the proposal must still explain the competence and experience of the people responsible for implementation.

Part B is limited to 70 pages. Evaluators will disregard pages beyond the limit. The proposal must be readable, accessible and printable, and documents must be uploaded under the correct categories in the submission system.

The online summary budget must match the detailed budget table. If there is a discrepancy, the amounts in the online summary budget prevail.

Proposals may be submitted in any official EU language, but the project abstract or summary must be in English. English is strongly recommended for the complete application to facilitate evaluation.

Grant agreement and implementation conditions

Successful proposals are invited to grant preparation, but the invitation is not a formal funding commitment. Grant preparation may involve legal entity validation, financial capacity checks, exclusion checks, technical clarification, budget adjustment and changes responding to evaluation recommendations.

The project normally starts after grant signature. A retroactive start date may exceptionally be accepted for duly justified reasons, but it cannot be earlier than the proposal submission date.

The grant agreement will define the project start date, end date, deliverables, milestones, budget, funding rate, reporting requirements, payment arrangements, liability regime and other obligations.

Normally, initial prefinancing is approximately 70% of the maximum grant amount. It is generally paid within 30 days of entry into force of the grant agreement or provision of any required financial guarantee, whichever is later. There are normally no interim payments. A final balance is paid after the final report and calculation of the final grant amount.

All payments are made to the coordinator. If earlier payments exceed the final grant amount, the difference must be recovered. Payments may also be offset against outstanding debts owed to the EU.

A prefinancing guarantee may be required, normally for an amount equal to or lower than the prefinancing. The requirement and amount are determined during grant preparation based on the applicable financial assessment.

Beneficiaries must retain records and supporting documents and remain subject to checks, reviews, audits and investigations. Non-compliance may lead to rejection of costs, grant reduction, payment suspension, grant suspension, termination or recovery.

Intellectual property, communication and visibility

The grant agreement provides for rights of use on project results and requires communication, dissemination and visibility of EU funding. Proposals should therefore include a practical dissemination plan covering local stakeholders, sport organisations, public authorities, support services and other clubs that could replicate the approach.

A separate project website is not eligible as a cost, but communication through participants own websites and social media accounts may be eligible. Results and good practices should be documented in a way that protects personal data and does not expose vulnerable participants.

Key compliance risks

Recommended proposal design

Overall assessment

This is a targeted, relatively small scale grant opportunity rather than a general sport infrastructure or competition funding scheme. Its strongest applicants are likely to combine credible grassroots sport delivery with demonstrated capability in youth protection, psychosocial support, refugee inclusion and local community integration.

The 80% funding rate and maximum grant of €400,000 can support a substantial local or regional intervention, but the project must be designed around eligible beneficiaries and activities rather than around the maximum budget. The proposal will need to show a direct and credible pathway from structured sport activities to improved well-being, integration and transferable practice.

The opportunity is strategically well suited to partnerships between sport clubs, municipalities, refugee support organisations, schools, youth services, mental health or psychosocial providers and sport federations. Applications that present sport as an isolated activity, lack specialist support capacity or provide weak evidence of impact are likely to be less competitive.

Official sources and further reading

The Funding and Tenders Portal topic page, call document, PPPA Model Grant Agreement, EU Grants Annotated Grant Agreement, Participant Register rules and Online Manual should be reviewed together before submission. The topic page should also be monitored for updates, corrections and questions and answers.

The authoritative opportunity page is Sport Supports emergency sport actions for youth. The detailed call fiche is Call document. General information on EU sport funding and preparatory actions is available from the European Commission sport funding page EU sport funding.

Footnotes

1. 1Official opportunity, call fiche and European Commission sport funding sources listed above.